Science news links for June 3rd through June 8th, including my latest contributions to Materials Today magazine:
- Nanotechnology fights cancer – Functionalised single-walled carbon nanotubes, rather than being a health risk, cause T cell antigens to cluster in the blood and stimulate the body's natural immune response.
- Flat-packed carbon – Synthesising and isolating new forms of pure carbon allotropes, has been the focus of much research during the last two to three decades not least because of the discovery of the fullerenes, carbon nanotubes, and more recently graphene. It is the possibility of synthesizing thin films akin to graphene, but with novel connectivity that piqued the interest of researchers in China who have now produced a novel allotrope called graphdiyne.
- Dipping into nanotechnology – An ability to answer questions at the boundaries of nanotechnology, materials and biology sets apart Steven Lenhert, the newest faculty face of nanoscience at The Florida State University. His research melds metals and semiconductors with biological materials and could lead to a range of new products in medicine and manufacturing for tissue engineering, drug discovery, and computer chip fabrication.
- Lie detection: Part 2 – Brain scans and lie detectors
- The Evolution of Computer Science – Computing the energy levels of a helium atom in 1958 was significantly harder than it is today. But a comparison of then and now methods reveals some counterintuitive anomalies about the impact of computer science.
- Magnetic stent therapy – Magnetic nanoparticles carrying a pharmaceutical payload can be pulled towards blood vessel blockages to help clear them, according to research published earlier this year.
- Waterfall iPhone app – Like Tetris but with water molecules and ice crystals. The ice caps are melting, you have to rebuild them one water molecule at a time!